Mom Gluttony

That fleeting moment we call ‘Spring’ in Texas has come and gone – it’s been in the low 90s for the past few days. The Bluebonnets have run their course, the water conservation signs have gone up, the mosquitoes have arrived, and we have legitimately broken out the shorts and sandals in the Tottums household.

With the hot weather hitting Texas, the warm weather is just starting to thaw out the rest of the country after what everyone tells me was the worst Winter in history (I’ll take your word for it). And with this warm weather, comes lots of traveling – both for work and for pleasure.

Part of me wishes that the ‘pleasure’ trip photos I have to show you involved sandy pictures of my kids jumping through waves, or enjoying a sweaty day at an amusement park … but you’ll have to make due with large groups of my friends trying to squeeze in to hot tubs or enjoying champagne on a tour bus.

The past couple of weeks have felt … glutinous. Amazingly glutinous – both for my stomach and for my soul. Because if there is one thing the ‘mommy’ can always use more of, it’s a heaping pile of lady-friends away from responsibility and their alarm clocks.

Okay, there were some alarm clocks at Mom 2.0, but they were only there to remind us to wake up and enjoy more time together. Pictured above, 3 of my favs: Laura | Morgan | Elizabeth

Recently I heard someone talk about a friend who had ‘stretched herself too thin’. She had multiple groups of friends. Friends who didn’t know each other. Friends who all had different interests and jobs and priorities … and how could she possibly keep up with all those people? How could those friendships actually be tangible if she didn’t devote her everything to all of them? That wasn’t friendship, there was no way she could be everywhere at once and be everything to everyone.

I invited to her to try out this thing I call ‘the Internet’.

Because despite the immense difference between the friends I met up with at Austintoxication 2014, and the friends I met up with at Mom 2.0 2014, there was one common denominator: I met all of these women online.

And I know that sounds weird to a lot of people. I know that some can’t fathom the idea of being able to stay close to someone you only see once a year (if you’re lucky) – but to be quite honest, there isn’t any way in hell I could live with out these two fabulous groups of women. One group who has been there through thick and thin since I started having babies – who have shared with me deeply personal parts of their lives, and held my hand as I went through harder times myself, and the other group who ‘get’ my passion for writing and marketing – who don’t give me a blank stare (or worse, laugh at me) when I speak about how much I love blogging, and social media, and branding.

Both of these groups, are my lifeline. And I say this to all of the women in either of them – if you have felt I have stretched myself too thin, or that you’re not getting enough of me – thank you. Thank you for missing me, and thank you for wanting me to be present. As a wonderful friend this weekend said, thank you for “filling my cup”, even if it is for just a few precious days a year. You have no idea how much you (yes, YOU) are valued, and loved.

The travel ramps back up in June, but these trips will be for work. And while they’ll be fun too – I doubt either of them will involve mimosas in the morning, biker bars in the evening, or dancing the night away to 90s pop music barefooted.

And to my boys (all three of them), who weathered the past couple of weeks with me being gone more than I was home – thank you for letting me go. Thank you for letting me “fill my cup”. It is good to be home.

If you’re a fan of following moms who are having a good time (either with their kiddos or with their friends) make sure you’re following me on Instagram (@Tottums) – it’s what all the cool kids are doing.